Police called the incident an attempted robbery and said they did not think the suspects who shot the deputy knew he was a law enforcement officer.

The shooting happened in a parking lot in the 17300 block of East Adriatic Drive about 7:20 p.m.

An Aurora police spokeswoman said the deputy shot one suspect in the leg. He is a juvenile in the hospital with an injury that he was expected to recover from. He was in police custody.

A witness said he heard gunfire, went outside and saw the off-duty deputy on his back with gunshot wounds in the abdomen. The witness said the deputy told him two black males shot him and then fled from the scene.

Police said they were looking for one other suspect described as a black male wearing a brown jacket.

Residents were alerted that K9 units were in the area involved with the search for the suspect. Aurora said the Denver Police Department, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were helping with the search.

A basketball game was being played inside Rangeview High School at the time, and players, fans and parents were told to stay inside when police first arrived. They were allowed to leave the school soon after that.

A heavy police presence remained in the neighborhood late Tuesday night.

Police believed the deputy was in the area because his girlfriend lives in the complex located there.